paradox_modfanmadebackupfandomcom-20200215-history
Order of the Talon
"Life was filled with war and guns, Because the kings were puppets of the scorpions. I wish we'd all been ready." :- "I Wish We'd All Been Ready" by Christian artist Larry Norman, noted for his popularity in Australia. The Order of the Talon, or the Talon, for short, is a new faction exclusive to Red Alert 3 Paradox designed by Open sketchbook, Ferriswheel42 and Kerensky287. Their arsenal is nearly 50 years old, but constructed from designs so intricate and complex that they are in almost pristine condition. Another feature of the faction is mobility; rather than the traditional base-building system, the Talon use a single mobile structure called a Crawler to build and maintain their entire army. At A Glance Background Origins "Gladius, Deus, Ignis." :- Motto of the Order The Order of the Talon was formed in the early 11th Century by Pope Urban II himself. The original goal of the Order was to silence a cult in Anatolia, though after some minor encounters, a full-out battle erupted and Byzantine Emperor Alexius I was forced to send out a call for help. Their answer was the First Crusade, a war that was made to cover up the Talon's first failure. Ignoring their orders from the Pope to return to Rome, they continued their hunt for the elusive cult, a hunt that would last for nearly 800 years. At first, the search was fueled by a desire to regain their position within the high ranks of the Holy Roman military, though over time they became obsessed with their foe, sometimes killing ruthlessly in order to gain the slightest of hints. For hundreds of years they chased their quarry down across the entire world, frequently engaging in battles against them, always one step behind their elusive leader. After Napoleon ransacked their headquarters in Spain and disconnected all their ties to the Pope, their Order became an exclusive, independent group, though as more and more of them were sent to their graves, they were forced into the practice of abducting skilled military candidates from other armies to form their officer corps. The Great War In 1914, they were the closest they ever came to meeting their foe. With many of their members having infiltrated the Austrian National Guard, they set up a meeting with a cult member wishing to defect. While the Talon interrogators began the questioning, a shot sounded through the streets of Sarajevo, and started the First World War. The Order had failed to see that the whole situation was a carefully orchestrated trap. The world descended into a nightmare war, and the cult was at the center of it, many of their members the officers that ordered the war forward on both sides. The Order was convinced the cult was using the war as a cover for something else, and throughout the war they captured thousands of officers from both sides, men with cult connections, attempting desperately to discover their enemy's plans while becoming more and more involved in the war itself. But in the end, the Talon had failed, and never discovered the purpose of the war. Reeling from the shock of a second failure, the Order retreated to Palestine where they set up a new headquarters. Shortly before his death, the Order's then-leader had a vision of a woman who would end the conflict with the mysterious cult once and for all. Her name was Lady Maria. The Present "The Order is like a man hanging from a cliff with one arm and without the strength to pull himself back up. He could use his other hand to hold on just a little longer, but he's busy using it to give the finger to all the bastards watching him dangle." :- Crusader Albin Canavan Since the 1920's, the Talon have changed very little, still operating with the same equipment from WWI. Though at first glance they appear to be powerful, with flaming battle tanks and connections to many major military organizations, they are only barely struggling to survive on limited resources, and constant firefights with a local group calling themselves the Global Liberation Army. Their method of inducting new members is failing, as the nations they recruit from have drifted towards atheism and godless science. Even in some of their more remote outposts, the Mediterranean Syndicate (whom the Talon despise) and their shadowy leader keep a close watch over the Order, making sure their threat to the corporation is minimized. However, in 1948, a young girl was born into the Order who would forever change the future of the Talon, and the future of the world. As she reaches closer to her maturity, the Order of the Talon prepare their battle tanks, rekindling the ancient flames their ancestors used to overthrow the evil that plagued the Earth. Soon, the Talon will be back on the hunt. Gameplay Specialties Each speciality is part of the Talon tech tree and unlocks new units and protocols. Unlike other tech-trees, Talon players are able and expected to upgrade down all the trees in time, but prioritization is important. Each speciality is built from a separate tab in the Master Crawler. Crusaders : The shield arm of the Talon war machine, the Crusaders use plates of the valued Talon Steel, giving them large amounts of health and many ways to grab the enemies attention. They draw in enemy fire, lock enemies into combat, distract enemies, defend home bases, and lead assaults, giving their fellows more time to attack. In addition to their regular heroic upgrades, Crusaders gain half their starting health again with each experience level gained. A Crusader Mini-Crawler is armed with massive slabs of Talon Steel and will draw fire away from others. When fully upgraded, the Crusader speciality transforms the Mini-Crawler in the the Shield of Faith Ultimate Weapon. Crusaders are made up of the Templar Order, whose destruction was faked in order to fold them into the Talon. Inquisition : The sword arm of the Order, the Inquisitors strike suddenly and unexpectedly from the shadows or from behind the Crusaders, purging the enemy with flame and steel. Among the tools at their disposal are damage-dealing, stealth and disguise, flanking, garrison-clearing and assassination. In addition to their regular heroic upgrades, Inquisitors weapons do +25% starting damage with each experience level gained. A Inquisition Mini-Crawler is armed with an increasing array of deadly weapons. When fully upgraded, the Inquisition speciality transforms the Mini-Crawler into the Firestorm Generator Ultimate Weapon. The Inquisitors of the Talon is made up of the members of the Priests of Judas, a controversial sect with roots back to pre-Constantine gnostic sects. They seek death on the battlefield, to die as unrepentant sinners in order to battle the forces of darkness beyond death. Evangelicals : The heart of the metaphorical Talon soldier, the Evangelicals use subtler means to sway the battle. They heal and inspire their fellows, poison and dishearten their enemies, harass enemy resource-gatherers, destroy stubborn defences, and turn your foes against themselves with hypnotism. An Evangelical Mini-Crawler radiates a healing aura. When fully upgraded, the Evangelical speciality transforms the Mini-Crawler into the Ambiaric Cannon. The evangelical forces of the Talon are made up of the Soldiers of Ignatius, a militant break-off of the Jesuits which took up arms against the suppression of Catholics in China and was disowned by the Church. Amphibiousness All Talon vehicles are amphibious. When on territory they were not designed for, they move slower, have lower defences, and cannot attack, but they can cross that terrain. Experience With every rank a Talon unit gains, it gains some form of function upgrade similar to heroic upgrades for other factions. This can be new weapons, extra health bonuses, armourtype changes, or even brand new features that change or expand the unit's role. Whenever a combat unit ranks up, it immediately gives experience relative to it's worth to all non-combat units nearby. Additionally, Inquisitor units that rank up apply this bonus to nearby Crusader units. This encourages the player to keep his forces tight-nit; the Tanks will rank up if they enable to DPS to score kills, and the support will rank up by doing their jobs around the combat units. Units and Structures "For once in my life, I have decided to speak out. At my last moments as well, which makes this sense of dread and shame only slightly more sour with humor for me. I must speak, for I have failed my brethren within the Scorpion Legion: I cannot fight any longer. My pursuers are eternally patient, and they have not left off my scent once, even with my expertise in the shadows. My pursuers are not of this earth, for they are...no, IT is something else. How else can they work together and fit together so perfectly? How else can they fight and move in unison like clockwork, the flames and the metal and the drugs and their eyes, oh, their eyes...I can handle men. I can handle men because men are mortal, men tire, men fail. I cannot handle machines." :- Note found on the wall of Police Chief Melinda Partridge's office, written shortly before the chief committed suicide via service pistol. Crawlers The Talon's entire army is built from the Master Crawler, a giant machine and literal moving castle that serve as a self contained base. Ultimate Weapons Defences All turrets are built as small, mobile devices. Once deployed, they cannot undeploy, and they do not gain experience. Generic Units These units are available immediately from the Master Crawler. Crusaders Inquisitors Evangelicals Behind the Scenes * While obviously connections can be drawn between Christian Catholicism and the Order of the Talon, the original intent was not to argue over religious ideals. The story of the Talon was supposed to be one of continuous failure, but their perseverance would keep them going, even if they were headed down the wrong path. The story is meant to explore what kinds of evil can spring from hypocrisy and a jaded view of the world, which doesn't only apply in a religious context, but to individual people as well. * The original build system (structures constantly on the move) was abandoned when it was realized how utterly impossible that would be to code. With the announcement of CnC4's Crawler-based build system, as well as the Talon's strong connection with the Tiberium series' GDI faction, the decision was made to adapt the Crawler as the new build system... with some modifications and re-interpretations. Category:Factions